


Alliances

by Kalloway



Category: King of Bones - Erin A. Bisson
Genre: Multi, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-12
Packaged: 2018-12-14 11:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11781819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/pseuds/Kalloway
Summary: Well Miri has her intentions and Vitry has his intentions and Keshan... is Keshan. Three mornings, three different outcomes.





	Alliances

**Author's Note:**

> This so feels like the prologue for the longer story I want to write about these three. Because I ship them so hard.
> 
> Originally posted Oct 1, 2013.

The first morning, Miri had other thoughts in her head as she made her way toward her destination and was relatively surprised to see Vitry approaching from the opposing direction. Not that he didn't belong there, of course - it just wasn't what she was expecting and knocked her other, less interesting, thoughts from her head. She readied a pleasantry for when they passed -- except they didn't. They both came to an awkward and halting stop at Keshan's door.

"Oh," Miri managed, pleasantry forgotten. Surely, whatever the plainslord needed Keshan for was far more important than her thinking they could have breakfast together before the various tasks of the day. She was making a slow progress with Keshan, she knew, but the alternative was likely causing him to drop over from embarrassment should she properly relay her intentions. And so little things had to suffice, like breakfast and evening walks.

"Go ahead," Vitry told her. There was something a little strange about his smile that implied far more than he was letting on. "My business can wait."

Miri really didn't believe him, but she wasn't going to argue.

~*~

The next morning, due mainly to reasons beyond her control and needing to take care of a few things before the grey sky dumped down rain, Miri approached Keshan's room from the opposite direction. She hadn't seen Vitry along the way, which was almost a bit of a disappointment. Of course, she'd also gotten distracted and completely forgotten to mention to Keshan about Vitry the morning before and she hoped that things had been well-resolved after she and Keshan had parted for the day.

Even if it was going to rain, Miri had quite the fun day lined up--

Except there was Vitry again, with the same apparently destination as the previous day. Miri tried not to sigh - she knew exactly what she needed to do.

"Ah, good morning--"

"And a fine morning to yourself, even if it's going to be a damp one."

"You get the win today," Miri told him. "It's only fair."

She didn't wait for Vitry to work through the variety of expressions he seemed unsure of choosing between. Instead, she excused herself and headed off. If she wasn't pestering Keshan, she did have work to be doing.

~*~

"A little less force would work just as well, Miri."

Miri looked up from her accidentally well-pulped project and winced at Master Dashyan.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "I wasn't thinking. Or... I was thinking, definitely, but about the wrong things."

"Care to talk about it?" Master Dashyan's voice was soft and calm and as he settled beside her to rest a gentle hand on her shoulder, Miri started to tell him everything.

Well, maybe not everything. But enough to get her points across - that yes she did think that Keshan would be a nice partner aside from his occasional denseness except of course there were few ways to flat out tell Keshan that without causing either a scene or some sort of flailing or both. Never mind that Vitry-of-all-people had popped up twice from nowhere! Vitry who, the more Miri thought about it out loud - also seemed to spend quite a lot of time with Keshan and definitely tended to always have a hand on Keshan and...

Miri made a face.

"Keshan can't be completely oblivious, can he?"

Dashyan's expression revealed nothing and though Miri tried to read him, she wasn't sure if he either knew the complete opposite to be true or if he was just going to laugh for a good bit later at the lot of them.

"Why don't you give it another day or two and see what happens?" he finally suggested.

Miri frowned and went back to pulping her project.

~*~

She was not at all surprised to run into Vitry again, and she wasn't exactly sure where to even begin. It wasn't like she could exactly ask Vitry his intentions, could she?

"A fine morning," Miri commented. Surely she'd figure something out for a follow up.

"Indeed," Vitry replied with a smile. "How shall we settle up this morning?"

Miri eyed him. A game now, was it?

Before she could say anything, Keshan's door opened and Keshan nearly crashed into the both of them. He looked at them both for a long, strange moment.

"Vitry, Miri," he said quickly after regaining his composure. "Did you need me for something this morning? Master Dashyan has requested my presence..."

Miri made a little noise deep in the back of her throat.

"Nothing important," Vitry added quickly. "Perhaps we can discuss it over dinner?"

Keshan nodded quickly. "Of course." And Miri could tell from his posture - and his ears - that he didn't sense anything too odd about the entire exchange.

"And you'd better give me a hand in the afternoon," Miri added. Keshan smiled and gave her a nod as well.

"My pleasure, Miri. However, you'll both have to excuse me for the time being?" Keshan did seem a tiny bit nervous - or curious - Miri thought as she watched him head off. When he was out of sight, she turned to look at Vitry.

"Breakfast?" he questioned, offering her his arm as he spoke. Miri nodded firmly and accepted.

"I think we have a lot to talk about," she replied. Like exactly what his intentions were versus her intentions. And how best to let Keshan in on said intentions because obviously the current plans weren't working.

"Definitely need a new strategy," Vitry noted as he led her onward. "Might I suggest an alliance?"

Miri nearly stumbled over her feet, quickly trying to figure out if that was a good idea, bad idea, amazing idea, or would just end with Master Dashyan laughing at the lot of them.

Probably at least two of those.

"I accept," Miri replied.

She suspected Dashyan was laughing even now.


End file.
